Four Times He Didn't Say It And One He Did
by No Sweeter Song
Summary: The L word is a long time coming for the conman from the streets and the girl who's pushed away every man in her life. But that just makes it that much more special when it finally slips out.


A/N: I kind of can't believe I've never written these two before...but I haven't. I beg of you, go easy on me! However, constructive criticism is always appreciated and is more likely to make me write them again. :)

* * *

Hatter flopped back on to the mattress, hot, tired, but completely sated. At his side, Alice lay, eyes half closed, a small but pleased smile on her face. The picture she made, hair spread over the pillow and golden skin glistening was almost enough to make him want to start back up all over again. Instead, he shifted to his side, looking down at her and working to commit each inch of her to memory. His life had shown him that tomorrow was never guaranteed, and he didn't want to picture what life would be without her. But, if for any reason, they were separated, he didn't want to forget her.

Her light blue eyes flickered open and finally focused on him, staring at her as if she might disappear at any moment. "What are you doing?" she asked, half wary and half amused. It was a tone she seemed to use with him a lot. Not that he could complain. He supposed he was rather amusing, finding millions of little details of her world so fascinating. And with the string of unreliable men who'd come before him, she had every right to be wary.

So instead of arguing, or laughing at her, Hatter merely placed a kiss against the skin of her shoulder, working his way up slowly to her lips. "Just looking," he informed her once he'd kissed her long and slow.

"Well stop," she said, giving a low, self-conscious little laugh. "You're making me want to hide in the closet till you're asleep."

A grin made its way to his face and he idly reached up, running his fingers lightly over her cheek. "I'd wait up for you. You'd be in there an awfully long time." His grin turned slightly wicked. "But I'd enjoy the view as you were running in there." He'd never understand Oysters and their silly needs to be ashamed of themselves. Particularly this one. She knew he was attracted to her, why did she feel the need to hide from him? From the first moment she'd stood sopping wet in his shop he'd wanted her. Was it so hard for her to accept it?

But Alice just swatted at him playfully. He rolled away, then rolled back towards her, his fingers reaching for what he knew from several explorations was a particularly ticklish patch of skin. She gave a furious squeal and grabbed at his hand to prevent him from tickling her further, then nestled up against him a moment later. The sweet smell of coconut drifted from her shampoo as she made herself comfortable and tucked her head beneath his chin. "You're impossible. You know that, don't you?"

"So I've been told," he agreed, closing his eyes and slipping his arms around her. "Usually by you."

As her giggle faded, the two of them fell silent for a long moment. Her breathing went steady and he was pretty sure she was asleep or nearly so. "Alice?" he murmured, the words buried in her hair.

"Hmm?" she mumbled sleepily, not even opening her eyes.

No. He couldn't. The timing wasn't right. "Never mind," he said softly, rubbing her back soothingly. "Just sleep."

* * *

When he'd asked her to teach him Judo, she'd had to try not to laugh. Hatter hated being compared to Jack Heart, but there he was, practically following in the blond man's footsteps. But she understood his need. For one, he wanted to keep in shape, and she didn't exactly see him as the type to take up one of those weird cycling programs at a fancy gym uptown. And for another, he wanted so badly to be a part of her life. And he knew that her work meant the world to her.

What she hadn't counted on was the fact that he'd be a much more worthy opponent than Jack had ever been. Jack, though she hadn't known it at the time, had been raised a spoiled prince, never having to lift a hand for anything unless he truly wanted to. Hatter, on the other hand, had been raised on the streets of Wonderland, fighting for his life more often than not. He knew a thing or two about self-defense, it was merely a matter of refining it with the graceful moves Judo required.

They'd been at it for nearly an hour, her stubbornness refusing to let him win. Alice was a skilled black belt, there was no way she was letting some newcomer take her. Even if that newcomer was her boyfriend and would be making her dinner that night. "No," she commanded, giving him her best stern teacher look. "I said under, not over. Do it again."

But the smile he shot her was smug "If you insist," he said smoothly and he repeated the move, this time turning her arm under, once again flipping her onto her back.

Alice winced, but gave him credit for not stopping to make sure she was okay. Some men might have, but he knew her well enough to know it would damage her pride. "You're sure you've never done this before?" she commented, getting to her feet. Before he could even answer, she advanced on him, twisting his arm behind his back.

Again, he was ready for her. One quick flick of his foot and she was on the ground. The smile he shot down at her was adoring, however. It was awfully hard to get mad at him when he did that. "Nope, never. Just be glad we're not throwing punches here."

That much she knew. She'd seen what he could do to a man's face. No, she wasn't even going to attempt to spar with those fists. For a few minutes, she just lay flat on the mat, trying to think of some strategy he hadn't already averted. Finally, she simply caved. Reaching a hand up, she put on a face that blatantly asked him to help her up. Bless him, he had the sense to look suspicious, but Hatter had never been one to not help her when asked.

The second his hand was in hers, he was flying towards the mat, landing not so neatly at her side. Alice beamed over at him, not the slightest bit ashamed at having to have used sneaky, underhanded methods to get him there. "Hi!"

Hatter rolled his eyes but looked over at her with amusement. "Feel better now?" At her affirmative nod, he grinned and reached over, flicking the ends of her ponytail. He seemed on the edge of saying something, his eyes studying her intently. He'd been doing that an awful lot lately. "What is it?" she asked, pulling herself into a sitting position.

For a moment, he was still completely silent. A beat later, though, he was hopping to his feet, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Nothing. Come on, let's call it a day, I'm starving."

* * *

"If you laugh, I'll kick you from here back to Wonderland," she called from the other side of the bedroom door. Hatter seriously didn't know what the big deal was. Honestly. It was only clothing. Granted, she'd already demanded he needed to look 'just right', and had taken her time deciding what he was going to wear. In the end, he didn't feel any different in what she'd picked out than he did in what he was going to wear, so he really thought she was fussing over nothing. Trousers were trousers, these just happened to be black instead of the tan he'd been planning on. And the shirt was burgundy, which he thought wasn't a bad color, even if she'd originally called it a 'girly' color in a panic. Then changed her mind when he'd actually tried it on. And the jacket she'd chosen wasn't bad. It was actually like most of the ones he'd had back home. Black and leather and just past his hips, it really wasn't bad at all.

He understood she was eager to impress her friends. Fancy dinners were, apparently, not something that group did a lot of. And, apparently, Alice wasn't one to often bring a date when the lot of them went off together. It seemed she was trying to impress someone. Not him, either, which was really just sad. Shouldn't he be the one she was aiming at impressing? Even if he'd have thought she'd look fine in a plastic bag.

He was sitting on the couch, watching some infomercial for a ball that kept your clothes from wrinkling in the dryer. The things oysters came up with would never cease to amuse him. It wasn't as if he'd ever even owned a dryer before, or an iron for that matter. So he supposed preventing the need of one by using the other was sort of brilliant. And unwrinkled clothes might make a difference if ironing was what was taking Alice so long. "Why would I laugh?" he called back, flipping the channel back to the soccer game. Some things here were so similar to back home.

A few moments later, Alice opened the door and peeked her head out. It was almost like looking at a different woman. His eyes widened and he got to his feet almost instantly. Her light brown hair was now hanging in waves around her face, instead of the long, straight ponytail she'd been wearing lately. The lacy dress she was wearing was so feminine he almost didn't believe she'd actually purchased it. It was that shade of blue that made her eyes stand out even from where he was standing. There was even a hint of color on her eyelids and some on her lips. She looked like a princess in one of those fairy tales all the little girls on this side seemed to be in love with.

"I knew it," she blurted, finally stepping fully into the room. "You think I look stupid."

His jaw dropped and he shook his head furiously. "No, no of course not! Why would you think that?"

Anxiously, she flicked her tongue over her lower lip, avoiding his eyes. She was already pulling anxiously on the hem of her dress. "You're standing there like an idiot. Like you're trying to think of a nice way to tell me to get back in there and change before we're late."

"No," he protested again, his eyes still taking in the sight of her. Stupid was the last thing he'd think to describe how she looked. Beautiful, maybe. Stunning would fit it a bit better. But anything but stupid. "You look..." Incredible, amazing, wonderful... "Breathtaking," he finally settled on, swallowing hard. Sometimes he still didn't believe this was his life now. Women flitting through his life, coming and going before he had time to blink, that was what he was used to. Knowing that, at the end of the night, this one would still be by his side? Brilliant.

Her eyes lit up and he knew he'd chosen well. "You really think so?" she asked, stepping towards him slowly, giving him time to drink in the sight of her. When she was finally by his side, she wrapped him in a tight hug. "I was worried."

He laughed softly before pulling back to look at her again. "No, never. Not where I'm concerned. I'm the luckiest man in the world tonight." He opened his mouth and then closed it again. "We need to get going."

"What?" she asked, studying him carefully. "What were you about to say?"

"Never mind," he told her, reaching for her hand with one of his, and his hat with the other. "We're going to be late."

* * *

It had been a long day. Teaching the little ones would never get easier. Not that Alice minded, exactly. She knew at some point she'd been the same way, just a little kid in a ji far too big for her and an attitude that matched. That didn't make it any easier to teach little versions of herself. That was the problem with Saturdays. Almost all day full of kids. And then private lessons into the early evening. By eight pm, all she wanted to do was head home, curl up with her boyfriend, and fall asleep.

But she knew he wasn't home. He still had two more hours at the pub. It had been the perfect place for him to start working until he could build up some references. With his accent, he fit the part of the English barkeep. He wasn't lying when he said he'd sold drinks before, and he had the perfect attitude for the job. And what had meant to be temporary was becoming a job he genuinely loved. It didn't hurt at all that Hatter could use the time listening to other people talking and try and grasp the daily life of Oysters without hounding Alice daily.

Most of the time, Alice didn't mind the job. But she couldn't miss the fact that he was developing a following. There was no denying he looked pretty amazing, leaning against the bar, always some form of hat perched on top of that mop of dark curls. When he'd shoot that crooked grin at someone placing an order, it was easy to remember why she'd fallen for him, and how easily someone else could, too.

So despite general exhaustion, she made her way to the pub to ride out the end of his shift with him. Saturdays were typically the worst. More people willing to stay late and make fools of themselves. She was a familiar face to the staff by then, and she smiled as she climbed up on to one of the barstools, watching carefully for the man she'd fallen for.

There it was. His beaming smile when he popped out of the backroom and saw her. She had to admit she loved that. The way his eyes just lit up at the sight of her reminded her that maybe it was going to be okay between the two of them. Even if half the time she was terrified of that whole commitment thing. He tried to keep up the professional demeanor even when she was there, though, and only nodded in her direction before putting up the bottles he'd been carrying. Finally he came over to take her order, lingering a little longer than he probably should have.

"Just a vodka and soda," she told him, as if he didn't know her order already. As if he couldn't have made her a drink in his sleep. And she was actually pretty sure he had once. Hatter gave a teasing roll of his eyes, but his fingers grasped hers before he handed her the drink. Which she'd sit in the corner and nurse while she watched him work. He didn't seem he least bit self-conscious with her watching him. Even when women seemed to throw themselves at him.

One in particular was getting to her. A little blond thing, pretty in that conventional way that Alice knew she wasn't. Oh, sure, she had attractive features, but this girl was like a human Barbie doll. Or what would happen if Christie Brinkley and Carrie Underwood had a child. She was at the pub every time Alice was there, which meant she was probably there many times Alice wasn't, too. And she wasn't exactly subtle, either. Every time Hatter walked by, she'd ask him so new question or lean just a bit closer, squishing massive amounts of cleavage out for his viewing pleasure. Finally, Alice had enough. When the little floozy leaned far too far over the bar to start touching all over the bartender, she got to her feet.

"Look," she said simply. "You never even asked. Maybe someone should fill you in. Hi, I'm Alice. His girlfriend?" The passive aggressive tone was edging much closer to aggressive with the look the blond was shooting her.

"You? Why?" she asked with a breathy little laugh, looking down at herself as if it should've been obvious. Why would he choose a flat-chested, plain girl like Alice when he had her to look at.

Alice's fists were balling, but she couldn't help the hurt coarsing through her. This woman had no idea. At the end of the day, Hatter was the one who made her feel beautiful, and people like this girl were the ones who didn't. But she didn't have to start throwing punches or, worse, burst into tears. Hatter stepped from behind the bar to her side, sliding his arm around her waist. "Because she's perfect," he said simply. A smug smile crossed Alice's face, but it shortly melted into an awed expression at the look he was shooting down at her. "And I..."

"You what?" she breathed, the blond already forgotten to her.

But he didn't answer. He merely dropped his head to hers, touching her lips briefly. Professional manner be damned. "I'm proud to have her," he finally finished before moving away to get back to working, as if nothing had happened.

But everyone in that pub knew something had. Or rather, what hadn't happened.

* * *

The invitation came in a non-traditional way. Instead of arriving in their postbox, Alice found it slid under the door, meaning it had been delivered by hand. It was cream with gold writing and cordially invited the both of them to the wedding of King Jack Heart and Duchess. Hatter had looked at her carefully, but was pleased to see no regret on her face. Even when he'd mentioned casually, "And to think it could've been you." She'd only taken his hand with a roll of her eyes and dragged him off in the direction of the Looking Glass.

Jack had put them up in the castle, rebuilt into a true palace, still far too high for Alice's taste but quite lovely and comfortable. He looked genuinely happy, and Hatter found he didn't begrudge him that, even if he had caused the former conman more trouble than he'd have liked. After all, how could he resent him in the slightest when Hatter himself was happier than he'd ever been before?

He was unpacking their belongings when he saw Alice by the window, looking out over Wonderland. A pensive look was on her face as she leaned against the window, one that he couldn't deny worried him. "What's wrong, love?" he asked, slipping up behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders. His chin propped on top of her dark hair, breathing in that tropical scent that, by then, was almost natural to him.

"Nothing," she murmured, leaning back into him. "Just thinking. Remembering. Reminding myself how many times we almost died here. You know. Nothing morbid." They both laughed, though his was half-hearted. He knew how hard it had been for her. She'd finally found her dad, only to lose him. And a girl who was used to fighting in a much more controlled environment had been put up against the odds. She wasn't like him that way, used to fighting for his life on a daily basis.

It only reminded him of where he'd come from, what he'd done to get to the point where he could, usually, sit quite comfortably in his shop and have others do his dirty work. Playing both sides of the law just to survive. He knew what he needed to do. "Alice..." he took a deep breath and then continued. "I need to go down there. To the tea shop. You don't have to come, I know it can't be easy being here at all, but..."

But she turned and smiled up at him, that half smile he'd fallen head over heels for in every way possible. "No, I'm coming. I've been here before, remember. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

The stock room had been abandoned, but it hadn't been redone yet. Jack had mentioned he'd probably turn the entire area into a school, which Hatter was perfectly alright with. Wonderland needed a better education system. Something that would allow even the poorest kid from the streets a chance to learn what everyone else already knew. With a smile, he even thought of who would be an excellent history teacher.

But that was for another time. With a deep breath, he pushed open the door to what had once been his livelihood. He could feel the familiar comfort of Alice, close behind him, and it gave him the strength to step all the way in and look around.

He'd been right, when he'd told her in the boat that his shop had been ransacked. From the revolutionaries to the cards, everyone had taken their picks from a man who'd wronged them in some way or another over the years. If he'd needed to go back to Wonderland, he would've been, if he could say so himself, screwed.

And yet, he didn't mind it, really. In fact, he was grateful to find every last bottle of tea gone. Tea just couldn't compete with human emotion, which he was beginning to understand. Real emotions, earned the hard way, without an instant rush of bliss or lust or excitement, those were the ones worth having.

"I'm so sorry," Alice said softly, making her way over to the desk where he'd been sitting when he first saw her. She'd been sopping wet, scared as all hell, and the opposite of trusting. But he'd known the minute he'd seen her that she would somehow make an impact in his life. And what an impact it had been.

And a small, sweet smile crossed his face. "I'm not," he admitted. "This? Wasn't living. It was surviving. Life with you?" He blushed considerably and looked shyly towards his brown leather boots. "That's living. That's what real emotion's about."

She shot him a surprised look, and not surprisingly, considering such outbursts out emotion and feeling weren't really him. Making her way towards him, she slid her arms around his neck, looking up at him imploringly. Hatter only smiled down into those bright blue eyes and touched his forehead to hers. "I love you," he said softly. "I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"What did you say?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows and pulling back, an amused look on her face. "Sorry, I don't know that I heard that right."

Bashfully, he shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Oi, you did, too, and you know it." But he took her around the waist and pulled her closer, his eyes looking over her shoulder at the exact spot where he'd first seen her. "I said, I love you." Alice didn't know that it was the first time he'd actually ever said it, not just to her but to anyone. But she had a fair idea. And she took his face in her hands and kissed him softly before finally saying those coveted words back.


End file.
